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We spent five minutes with the Redfest-bound singer songwriter

By
Chanelle Tourish
10 February 2015

‘The 21-year-old singer, songwriter and producer has a CV that even some of the most accomplished of artists could only dream of having. ‘Liar Liar’, the lead single from his debut album Red Roads was not only co-produced by Pharrell Williams, but he also lends his vocals on the track and appears in the video for it, which boasts more than 34 million views on YouTube.’

How did Pharrell become your mentor?‘I was 15 and living in Miami when I was introduced to him by a friend of my family who is also a friend of Pharrell’s. He knew I was a young kid making music in my bedroom at the time and he was nice enough to take me to the studio to play some of my music. He really enjoyed it and eventually we began working together.’

What was it like working on ‘Liar Liar’ with him?‘Working with Pharrell is incredible because he has so much music knowledge. He’s really good at taking an artist’s vision and enhancing it, bringing it to life. We actually wrote ‘Liar Liar’ almost four years ago now and it’s really stood the test of time.’

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Aside from music, what do you do to unwind?‘It’s pretty difficult to unwind, I’m always thinking about music. I love movies and I’m going to start writing a screenplay pretty soon. Films are my escape into a more peaceful place sometimes. I really like a mystery with a good twist.’

Who is your biggest inspiration in music?‘Bob Marley – his was the first music I heard when I was about eight years old, spending a lot of time in the Bahamas. I remember the first song I heard by him was ‘Jammin’ and ever since then, I was stoked. So today he’s really an instinct for me.’

How do you define success?‘To me, success is when I get to a point where I can release my music and it reaches a large mass of people.’